Posted:16th Feb 2009Im looking for a more natural sleeve, but right now what I've got is a florescent nylon webbing sleeve (a tube, if you will) that I filled loosely with sand and then folded in half. After sewing the ends shut and adding a grommet hole, I have a single loop handle with a counter weight.

Because the sand is both heavy and small, it tends to gather at the middle and make it super easy to throw and soft to catch. If I want a finger loop, there's a single loop there whenever I want.

"to a man whose only tool is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail." Abraham Maslow

Posted:16th Feb 2009i personally dont like either single or double loops. i use shoe strings for all my glow poi and my fire i have a metal nob on the end. but im liking sauids idea for it does hurt when you dont catch it right.

Posted:17th Feb 2009Not that I know of. Googling "plasticine" and "oven" does produce hits but I dunno if its really the same product.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasticinebr>Is what I refer to. Its still reasonably soft whenever I've seen it used as a handle. (Always in socks) I think stuffed into a balloon or something like that as well. Good thing about it is that it can mould to your finger grip and can mould to a few different grips.

Posted:18th Feb 2009maybe Fimo you're thinking of? Which does go hard in the oven but if its not put in for the right amount of time it can crack, or not quite set properly. Also if its in too long it can lose some of its colour, which may not be as important.. Fimo isnt very remouldable, but might be good in a set of socks.

on spam robots - "Burn the robot! Melt him down, and then we can make lots and lots of money from his shiiiny juices!"

Posted:18th Feb 2009Single loop, being able to have it hook on both sides of the hand combined with the freedom of fluid maneuverability of disjointing palm face with cord vector.

Double loop has.... easier angling which makes for greater (easier) acceleration of the poi weight.... which makes it better if you either have not developed the strength to move it that fast that easy in the first place.... or don't want to put in the effort =P

Honestly, I've never dropped my poi with single loops, with proper handle configuration I can't see anyone dropping it... I can't remember where I saw how to do it in the first place but I'm about 90% sure it was one of nick's video's.. palm facing away you pull the loop through face to backhand towards you then loop it up and around your fingers.

So I guess what I'm really talking about it Single(free) vs double vs Single(knot).

The easier it is to lose your poi the easier it's going to be to throw and do release moves like augment 5bw, so:Counterweights are going to be the best, catch and release effortless.Single free loops are going to be good, albeit hard to catch back into the loop effortlessly.Doubleloops are going to be much trickier to release than single frees yet not be able to re-loop at all so they might as well be counterweights post-throw.Single knot is going to be impossible to throw, that thing is NOT coming off of your hand on command.

In summery double loops are good for general easy practice and improv which is good for beginners who don't "really" know what they are setting out to do in-between stops, where as single loops have way more versatility to fit both a secure firespinner and when you want to be able to do throws.

Posted:19th Feb 2009It's really really much easier than you're thinking, it's a knot only because your fingers emulate parts of the knot, you can slip it off as fast as doubles but you have to stop spinning first because the knot's tightness is directly related to how much tension is on the cord, but stable enough so you can do stalls in any hand/poi direction.

Posted:19th Feb 2009I think its known as a cinching loop. Some manufacturers actually sell single loop handles with a slit in the middle to allow you to create that without twisting it around and around. I've got some, but I dont particularly enjoy that style anymore. It pinches the circulation a tad. About the best I can say for it is that it does allow me to completely open up my hand when spinning so that I can gesture more when dancing.

"to a man whose only tool is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail." Abraham Maslow

Posted:20th Feb 2009how much should a counterweight be .... should it be the same weight as the weight on the other end ... how does it work the best i've got mine like this, but was just wondering if that was the right thing to do

Posted:22nd Feb 2009Originally Posted By: Mother_Natures_SonOriginally Posted By: LevIt can get a little tight depending on how much weight you are using, but I'm not following with the "round and around" bit.Found it 2:00

Hey, Lev... try this link instead takes you right where you want to go!

Its just #t=0m0s replacing the 0s with the number of minutes and seconds that you want to start at!

Posted:24th Feb 2009Ok I gave the fimo (the one which you bake) a go for the counterweights. it didn't work because it was to hard. i'm going to try and get hold of the end of walking sticks things hopefully that will work

Posted:25th Feb 2009i've got one set of poi (sock poi) with plasticine in them and it works really nicely cheers i just thought i would try a few things out for my set with a rope tether i think that maybe plasticine sowed into a piece of material could be good as well trial and error i guess

Posted:19th Sep 2009I use single loops for fire and double for my flowpoi. With single i wrap it up the same way as i hold double. (index and middle finger, palm up, poi hanging down)EDITED_BY: Geeza (1253277529)